Life Goes On
by Kaihime Hatake
Summary: With last year's event, will Tori Kinjo be able to take on more students? What haunts her from the past that leaves her heart sore and bruised? Will she be able to face her fears, and finally accept the truth? Mature language warning. Genres may change.
1. So It Begins, Again

"_Let me go you fucking bastard!" A woman in her late thirties lashes out at her assailant as he grabs hold of her wrist, pulling her close. "Shh, my Black Bird." He ducks her punch, and pushes her to the ground, putting his full weight on her, pinning her down. "Calm down." "NO!" Her hands flail about, looking to claw something, his face, his arms, anything. She feels strong hands grip her both of her wrists, and they are forced down above her head._

"_Let me go!" She spits in his face, and stares pointedly at him as he takes in a deep breath to calm down his rising rage. He looks down, and watches as her emerald eyes slice into his own golden orbs. "What is wrong with you?" He whispers, and leans down to kiss her, but an intimidating growl emanates from her chest and throat, making him pause. "You wouldn't-" "I TRUSTED YOU!" _

"Hey Kakashi," a woman approaches the silver fox as he turns around, and he chuckles, quite pleased to see her. "Well, long time no see Tori." She stops a few feet from him, giving him his room. Her tanned face reflects about 15-20 years of hard work from the weather, past missions and trials of life, yet is still elegant in its own way, including the scar that mars the left side of her jaw line and neck.

She has deep brown hair, almost on the verge of being black, that is streaked with a naturally occurring maroon here and there. "Ready for today?" He sighs, rubbing the back of his head and looks back at his book, Icha Icha Paradise. "I'm never ready for this day." She chuckles, and shakes her head. "You still read those damn things?" She motions to the book, and looks out over the river, leaning against the bridge.

He nods, and glances at his older colleague, taking in her figure as she gazes at the rushing water below. "What kind of students do you think you'll get?" Shrugging, Kakashi pockets his book, and watches the birds fly away overhead. "The usual." "Oh?"

He turns now, looking out over the water with Tori. "What I mean is, the usual one's that won't look after their partners, and just look after themselves." She nods, and stretches her arms out over her head, a smile coming to her lips. "So that's how you get them. You play the 'don't-feed-your-friend-during-lunch' card, you sly dog."

She shakes her head, and turns around, leaning against the bridge railing with her back. "How do you know that?" His eye narrows slightly, intrigued that she found out his secret. She shrugs and smirks while watching his face. "I have my ways on finding information."

He brushes it off, figuring she would have said that. "What about you Tori? What kind of students do you think you'll get?" Taking in a deep breath, she stares at the clouds that roll by, thinking. "I never know what to expect anymore. Not after last year's group…" Her voice trails off, and she glances over to the left as Kakashi looks over at her. He sighs, remembering her last troupe.

Her niece had been paired with her, a bright and daring kunoichi prodigy, and there was an incident. Tori's sister hasn't talked with her since, and she blames herself for it. Kakashi listlessly watches the river, thinking, and stands up straight. "Well, it's about time to go check in. Want to walk with me?" She glances over at him, and nods. "Sure, why not." Kakashi stuffs his hands in his pockets and they travel off to the Hokage's building, chatting idly as he looks at her scar inconspicuously.

The door slides open and Kakashi steps to the side to let Tori through first. She nods her thanks and steps through looking up to spot 2 ANBU standing next to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage of Konoha. She then addresses the Hokage, nodding, "Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen nods in return, his hands grasped in front of his face, contemplating. "I have some things to discuss with you two before I give you your assigned students." The ANBU look at Hiruzen behind their masks and then to Tori, knowing what was to be spoken. The Hokage clears his throat, taking in a deep breath afterward. "Kinjo Tori, do you feel as if you are ready to take on more students?"

She knew the question was bound to come sooner or later, but it caught Tori by surprise when it came from Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth. Taking in a deep breath to steady herself, she nods, and grasps her hands behind her back, straightening up, giving her mood a confidence boost. "Yes, Lord Hokage." "Even considering the fact that you might get your nephew, Inuzuka Kiba?"

Her eyes narrow, feeling as if her pride is being contested. "Lord Hokage, I am ready no matter if you're trying to scare me out of teaching this year, or if it is genuine concern," her voice gathers an edge, "but last year's events will not hinder me from being the quality teacher I am capable of being." He mulls over her response for a bit, and nods, letting his hands fall into his lap. "Very well then."

He then takes hold of a paper on his desk, and reads over it, looking for 'Kinjo Tori'. "Ah, here we are…you're students this year are; Miyazaki Suzume, Nakamaru Kenshin, and Tanaka Daisuke." She nods her thanks, and turns to leave before she stops. "Have fun Kakashi." She laughs and walks out as Hiruzen's voice travels to her ears as slides the door closed.

Taking in a deep sigh, the weathered woman travels down the hall, running her hands through her hair, trying to keep the creeping exhaustion of life back until she can get home. As she continues walking, Iruka rounds the corner, and he stops as he spies Tori. She lets her arms fall and shoves her left hand in her pocket as she approaches him.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" "H…hi Tori-senpai. Are you headed to pick up your team?" He stammers as a slight blush creeps across Iruka's face. She nods, quite amused by his reaction to her presence. "Yes I am, and just where are you headed off to?" A nervous chuckle creeps out of Iruka as he rubs the back of his head, glancing down. "Well, I'm off to meet with Lord Hokage over some food and tea." "Oh really?"

She glances out the window, looking at the sun. "But it's not even noon yet." Another nervous laugh and he shrugs. "I've also got other things to do, too, so that will pass the time." A demure smile comes to her lips, and she nods, walking off. "Ok then Iruka. I'll catch up with you later." She waves as Iruka looks after her, and then goes on his way.

As she approaches the Ninja Academy, she watches the younger children play in school yard, running up and down the stairs, slipping down the slides, and enjoying the swings. A pang of guilt hits her hard as she sees a little blonde girl with sapphire eyes run about without a care in the world, screaming for her friend to stop. Tori swallows hard as she passes through the doors, and looks for Iruka's room.

"_Aunt Tori, is it true that you might be my teacher?" She ruffles the hair of a spirited young girl as they approach the Ninja Academy for her first day. "Someday, my dear, someday I will be…"~ "Aunt Tori! Watch me!" Sitting under a tree, Tori watches as she sprints up a tree with ease and it wasn't even her third try. "Good job Ayame!"~ "Now, what's the most important that a ninja must remember?" Her niece enthusiastically waves her hand about, squirming in her Indian-style sitting position. "I know, I know!" "Pfft, you ALWAYS know the answer." "Oh boo you Aoi," and she proceeds to stick her tongue out at her teammate. "What's the answer, Ayame?" "TEAM WORK! For there's no 'I' in 'We', but there is in 'Win' when you work together!"_

Tori comes to her senses when she hears some complaining in an upcoming room. "You need to shut up Naruto. You know how stupid you are, baka?" A shrill female voice splits the air as she glances up to see what's keeping to door open. _"An eraser? Boy, they better not be my students, I'll rip them new ones for immaturity."_

She reaches up for it when the voices shush instantly. A slight chuckle escapes her as she slides the door open to peer in. "Well, well, what kind of delinquents do we have here?" She spies six different kids; two blondes, a raven haired boy, a pinkette, and the last two sport brunette shades.

"Hmm, you all don't look like much." The raven just glares at her as Tori sizes them up. "I need Team 13…" "Gaaah!" Tori watches as one of the blondes pulls on his hair in frustration. "WHY! WHY IS OUR SENSEI TAKING SO DAMNED LONG!" Tori's eyes narrow and she disappears momentarily, only to appear next to the loud mouth, holding his ear quite roughly. "And how old are you?"

He flails his arms about in pain, squealing. "Oh wow owowow!" She tugs a bit harder, not getting the desired answer. "Excuse me, how old are you?" He bites his bottom lip in pain, and yells out the answer. "I'M 12, 12 YEARS OLD!" She nods, a grimace upon her face. "And what is one thing that a young child such as you should NOT be doing?" His face goes blank, stupor in his eyes as his feeble brain tries to work. "Cursing…that is one thing young children should not do, for it sets off a bad image to many adults."

"Pfft." Tori straightens up while letting go of the brat's ear to look at the raven haired individual. _"He looks like a miniature Fugaku…could he be the young Uchiha?"_ She shrugs him off, and returns her attention to the lot of them. "Okay, Team 13?"

Both of the brunettes look at each other warily, clearly thrown off by Tori's display, and the other blonde waves them up as he stands in front of his new sensei. "Well, are you two coming or what? She obviously isn't going to eat us." Both of them nod, eyeing Tori as if she were about to pounce on them and devour them whole. She turns around, and steps out the door, leading them out. The blonde valiantly follows behind her as the two brunettes trail behind, cautious.

"Excuse me, Sensei, but where are we going right now?" The young girl musters up enough courage to finally say something aloud, and a hint of humor is laced in her voice as Tori replies. "We are going to one of my favorite spots. It helps me think and relax, and it's quite the beautiful atmosphere too." All three of her students look at one another, and the blonde raises his voice.

"And just why are we going there?" Tori glances over her left shoulder to look at the young boy. She sees determination and stubbornness as she looks in his eyes, and a quaint smile slips on her face. "So I can get to know you three better. Find out what you want in life, what your personality is and the like." The blonde considers this, but then stops in his tracks. "How come we haven't even gotten your name yet, if you want to get to know us so badly?"

A chuckle escapes her, and she shakes her head as she continues on walking. "That's why we are going to my favorite spot. So you can get to know me also." She sees a fence in the distance, and takes in a deep breath as a fresh wind hits her nose. "We're close, so you can stop being so antsy." The blonde crosses his arms, and looks around aimlessly, when an idea pops into his head.

"We're going to the fence right?" Tori nods her head solemnly, and sees where this is going. "Let's have a race! Whoever gets there last has to talk first." Tori stops, her hands in her pockets as she contemplates this. "Hmm…okay then."

She draws a line with her foot, and steps behind it. "Since you proclaimed it, are there any rules that we must follow?" Her eyes dance as the blonde rubs his chin, thinking. "Yeah! ANYTHING GOES!" He points up in the air with clarity as they step beside Tori on the line. "Are…are you sure that's alright, Daisuke-kun?" A knowing smile appears on Tori's lips as she glances down at the other boy and girl.

She winks at them, and nods. "He made the rules, we have to follow them." A wacky grin appears on his face as he gets ready to go. Tori glances down at him and doesn't even prepare to run as she counts down. "On my mark…ready…set…go."

He takes off while the others stay behind at the line. Glancing back he sees that they're still there, just standing. "Haha! What's wrong? Scared?" He reaches the fence, hitting it and wrapping his fingers through the links. "YES! I WON!" He glances back, and sees that they're gone. "Huh?" He looks around frantically, when he hears his name being called. "Daisuke-kun! Come on, what's keeping you!" He sees his two classmates and his sensei by the fence, and he looks down. There, under his feet, is the starting line. He blinks, confused and bewildered, and he slowly begins to approach them, disbelief written on his face.

"But…but how, how did that happen? I swore I ran all the way to the fence. I touched it, I touched the fence." The young girl, Suzume, looks up at Tori, question in her eyes. "What is Daisuke-kun talking about?" A very pleased smile is on her face as Daisuke nears them. "What you dear friend here, Daisuke, just experienced was genjutsu."

An awed look transpires in both Suzume's and Kenshin's eyes as Daisuke whines. "What the heck is a genjutsu?" He rubs his head as Tori puts up three fingers and Suzume sighs. "There are three main different types of jutsu; Genjutsu, the manipulation of the mind, taijutsu, the physical fighting contact, and ninjutsu, the combination of any of the five different elements with a hand seal or seals. Basically, genjutsu makes your mind believe that you are performing an action, when in all reality, you're standing still, leaving you open for the enemy. It can also physically mess with you."

She sees a confused look come upon Suzume's face, and laughs. "I bet you're wondering how in the world a mind manipulation could affect your physical self." Suzume nods, a slight blush creeping across her face in embarrassment. "Hey now, chin up. I had the same question when I was your age." Before she can begin to explain though, Daisuke waves his arms around, stopping Tori. "Yes?" "Before we even start lessons, why the heck won't you introduce yourself to us?"

Kenshin and Suzume look at one another, and proceed to burst out laughing as Tori grins. "What's so funny?" Daisuke looks between all 3 of them, and his face becomes slightly red with anger as he turns around, putting his back to them.

"While you were standing there, all three of us were walking and introducing ourselves," Suzume giggles, trying to conceal it behind her hands. Daisuke glances behind himself, and finally turns around, but doesn't look at Tori when she looks at him.

"I still don't know your name though," he mumbles under his breath, and Tori can't help but smile at the boy. "Well, Tanaka Daisuke, I'm Kinjo Tori, your sensei for as long as you can survive." A highly disturbed look appears on his face as she laughs at him. "I'm just kidding," she wipes away a tear of enjoyment, and gets a stern look on her face. "Now, it's time to teach you three about the other two types of jutsu besides genjutsu alone."

Tori puts her hand on the fence gate, and pushes it open as she looks behind to gaze upon her new students. _"This is going to be quite the interesting year…"_ She sighs as she looks to her favorite spot, underneath a forever blooming sakura tree that's towards the back of the grounds. "Wooow…" Suzume ducks underneath the overhanging branches, gazing at the pale pink blossoms as they dance to the ground.

"But it's not even the season for it…everything else is still green." Kenshin stares at the tree, astonished as their sensei takes her seat against the trunk. "But…how?" Tori looks up through the branches to the sky. "An old friend did this for me a few years back." Her eyes close in reminisce as her mind paints a picture of him, which she forces away with a shake of her head.

"Anyway, time for you three to learn some basics." She pulls out nine scrolls from her vest and hands them each three. "What's this?" Daisuke opens one up, and makes a sound of frustration. "We have to read these?" She watches the other two as they skim over the scrolls without complaint, and nods at Daisuke as he grumbles.

"Look at it this way; at least I'm not making you try these today. I'll give you three days of your own time to read over those, and then we'll meet back here on Saturday, okay?" Suzume and Kenshin roll up the scrolls, nodding, and Daisuke stares at Tori. "Three days? But aren't you going to explain to us what taijutsu and ninjutsu are?" She slowly stands up from her seat, and looks down at the three Genin.

"That's why I gave you those scrolls, to learn on your own at first," she points to the scrolls in Daisuke's lap. "Then, on Saturday when you return here, hopefully you've read those and you'll be able to answer my questions." He goes to complain when Suzume stops him, growing slightly more confident. "What Tori-sensei is trying to burn into our brains is information, and hopefully we'll be able to utilize it later when needed." Tori nods, very pleased with Suzume.

"That's exactly what I'm hoping for, Suzume-kun." They look at Daisuke as he stands up, pocketing his scrolls. "Well, if you say so." He mulls over what he's going to do this weekend, and then perks up. "Hey, do you two want to meet up somewhere later and study?" A slight chuckle escapes Tori as she begins to walk off. "Well, you're free now for the rest of the day. Have fun guys." Looking at the sun, she determines it's about 2 or 3, waves to them, and disappears in a puff of smoke. "Whoa, did you guys see that?"

Appearing in front of her door, Tori looks for her keys through her vest, when she stops and glances in her window. She sees a figure inside and she looks around, making sure no one else is there. Finding her keys, she slowly inserts it into the door, turning it and the door knob simultaneously in a flash and she barges in, pulling out a kunai, only to see that no one is there now. She blinks, slightly flustered, and shakes her head.

"_What the hell?"_ Turning around, she pulls out her keys, and throws them on her island. She looks around her home, making sure that nothing is missing, and then she sees it; a picture is moved facing out into the world. Taking in a shuddering breath, she walks over to it and places it back down on its face, not daring to look at it.

Tori undoes her vest and throws it over her couch. She runs her hands through her hair, and walks over to her kitchen, opening a top cabinet while pulling out a cup and a bottle of sake. She then goes to her fridge and rummages through it, looking for her pork and vegetables that she had bought the day before.

Finding the items, she pulls them out and puts them on her kitchen counter. Sighing, she leans against her island and looks up at the ceiling. _"I'm getting too old for this…and I'm not even 40 yet."_ She glances at the picture on the banister, and shakes her head, going back to dinner preparations.

Pulling out a pan, she turns on the stove top as she looks for some oil to cook with. Upon finding it, she hears something outside, and freezes. Tori slowly sets it down on the counter, and reaches for her right leg pouch, pulling out a kunai. She looks around for anything reflective to look at to see if anyone invaded her house.

Not seeing any, she slowly turns around, and goes looking throughout her house warily. She goes to her room first and sees that the window is open. Her eyes narrow and she glances behind her as she closes the door. She calmly strolls down her hall, keeping her chakra concealed while she searches out for another. She can't find any and decides to search the other end of her home.

As she walks out of the hall to enter the kitchen, she sees a body flicker past her and she reaches out for it, only to miss it and she throws her kunai, hitting the person just enough to cause blood to cover the point of the kunai. She hears her bedroom door open as she rushes after the culprit, grabbing the kunai, and highly pissed that anyone would dare intrude into her home.

When she opens her door she sees the culprit dash through her window, the curtains billowing through the rush of wind. As she runs up to the window, Tori sees the back of the perpetrator vanish into the woods and shadows behind her house. She watches intently as she sends out her chakra to find nothing. Taking in a deep breath, she pulls herself out of the window and closes it as she leaves her room.

Frustrated, she smells her stove heating up, and she lets out a haggard sigh as she goes to the kitchen and pours the oil into the pan. She quickly chops up the vegetables and pork, and throws the pork into the pan, adding some oregano and spicy kimchi seasoning on top. The aroma fills up the house quickly, and she takes in a deep breath, savoring the flavors as she washes the vegetables. She sits down on a stool and pours herself some sake as there's a knock on the door. She freezes mid-sip, and sets her cup down rather roughly.

"_I swear if this is some kind of joke, I'll rip someone's throat out,"_ she says this to herself as she approaches the door, and then she sighs as she recognizes Kakashi's chakra signature.

Opening the door, Tori sees Kakashi smiling behind his mask as he waves. He sniffs, and looks behind Tori as she lets him in. "Hey Kakashi." He takes a seat on another stool, and sniffs again. "Pork with kimchi seasoning?" She nods, and takes her stool as he looks at the sake bottle.

"Sake in the middle of the day? It's not even 4 yet Tori." She ignores him as she takes her cup and drinks it down. "Let's just say I need it." Kakashi looks around and freezes, then slowly looks back to Tori. "Someone else was here?" Tori sets her cup down rather hard, and walks over to the stove, adding the vegetables as she flips over the pork cutlets. Kakashi watches her as she makes her dinner, wondering what could have agitated her so.

Looking around some more, he sees that a picture he _knows_ should not have been visible. He stands up, and goes to walk over to place it down when he hears Tori's voice. "Forget Kakashi…just leave it." He glances back over his left shoulder, and takes his seat again, watching her with silent melancholy. Closing his eye, he sighs as he scratches the back of his head, wondering why it's showing, today of all days.

"Before you say anything more, someone else _was_ here in my house. I don't know who, but I feel like they might be messing with me because they know what happened then." She trails off, and lets the pork and vegetables sizzle in the pan as she mulls over today's event. Shaking her head, she lets out a sigh of frustration as she runs her hand down her face, fighting back tears of anger.

"What are your new prisoners like?" Kakashi asks as he watches her face as it breaks into a meager smile as she remembers Suzume, Daisuke and Kenshin. "Quite entertaining. And yours?" She takes in a relaxing breath as she looks over at the silver fox, her smile growing. "Oh man…you'll never believe the clown I have." He rubs his face, shaking his head. She looks up, remembering the eraser 'prank'. "Oh, I can imagine." She laughs as she smells her pork finishing up.

Kakashi looks up at her as her façade begins to fall to pieces, and he coughs, glancing behind himself. "The one boy is so out of hand. He thinks he can take on the world. Quite the prankster…" _"But he reminds me so much of you, Obito."_ Kakashi glances at Tori as she plates her food. "Want some?" She lifts up her pan slightly, showing the extra pieces of pork. The scent wafts up to his noise, and he salivates almost instantly. A smirk appears on her face, burying her grief as she grabs him his own plate.

"So what about your other two students," she asks as she cuts the pork on both plates, watching Kakashi as he puts his elbow on the counter and rests his chin on his hand. "The pink-haired kunoichi thinks about nothing but love…she's brainwashed with it." He hears the humor in Tori's voice as she responds. "Oh really? Let me guess, with the one you haven't spoken of yet?"

Kakashi cocks his eyebrow in curiosity as she hands him his plate. "Oh Kakashi," she grabs two pairs of chopsticks as she takes her seat, "you forget that I used to be a young kunoichi myself." She eats some of her peppers and pork, watching Kakashi intently. "What's her name?" Kakashi looks at her as he pulls down his mask, revealing his charming face. "Haruno Sakura."

Tori glances up, stops herself for a minute, and shakes her head, her hair falling down around her shoulders. "That's quite rare of you, Kakashi-san." He smiles, and it nearly causes her heart to stop, but she only smiles in return, hiding behind it. "It's been a while since I've had such great food."

She smiles knowingly now and nods, taking a piece of pork between her chopsticks, looking at it. "So, care to tell me about your last student?" She places the pork between her teeth, and tears off a bit, and begins to chew as Kakashi remembers his raven-haired pupil. "Well for starters, he's a descendant of the Uchiha," he sees Tori stare at him contemplatively, and nods.

"He also has only one goal…to get revenge on a certain man…" Tori's mind travels back to a very recent time, and Itachi jumps into her mind's eye. She swallows as Kakashi takes a few bites, letting her formulate some questions or answers. Seeing that she isn't going to ask anything, he continues. "And he's set on gaining more power to carry out his…desire, if you can call it that." Tori shakes her head, and sighs as she takes another drink of sake.

"Wanting power only brings hate and malevolence into one's heart," she says as she fills her cup again. Kakashi watches her as she swallows it down with ease, and looks down at his plate. _"You would have some expertise in that area, wouldn't you, Tori-senpai…"_ As she starts to pour another cup for herself, Kakashi stops her with a slight cough, and Tori shakes her head as she pushes it away. She takes in a deep breath, and her back pops, all the tension leaving her body.

"Wow, I didn't expect today to end up like this…" She rubs her face in tired frustration and sets her elbows on the table, hiding her face as she sits numbly. "Your food's going to get cold if you don't eat it, Kakashi-san." He nods slowly, and picks up his chopsticks as he broods over her current situation with scrutiny.

She glances over at her clock, and sighs. _"It's only 5:04…three more hours left to endure."_ Kakashi sees her glance at the clock, and he waves his chopsticks at her plate. "And what about you, Tori-senpai?" Chuckling, she stares at Kakashi as she begins to pick at her plate. "I told you that you didn't have to address me that way, Kakashi."

She quickly finishes her plate off, glancing at him every now and then, and takes Kakashi's plate from him as he finishes his food. He shakes his head as he gets up from the stool and sits down on the couch, stretching out. He pulls out Icha Icha, crossing his legs and putting one hand behind his head, getting comfortable. "And just what are you doing, may I ask?" Tori plops down on her seat across from Kakashi and sets the sake on the table, drinking from her cup slowly.

Kakashi shrugs and turns a page, taking in his book quite lucidly. Tori sits back in her chair and puts her feet on her coffee table. She takes a long drink this time, and Kakashi watches her as the liquid slides down her throat. _"Trying to drown out the sorrows are we Tori-senpai?"_ He looks back to his book as she sets down her cup hard, and he sighs, rubbing his face, pulling his mask back on as he stands up.

He glances at the clock and goes to the door, looking back at Tori. Her face is in her hands now, and he stops mid-turn, genuinely worried. "Don't worry about me Kakashi, I'll live through tonight. Go get your sleep." He looks down to the ground, and nods after a while. "I'll come by in the morning, okay?" She nods slowly, and hears him walk out.

Taking in a shuddering breath, Tori looks up at the picture, a few tears running down her face as she stands up to walk over to the banister. Picking up the picture, she wipes away the tears, and her fingers trail down her scar slowly as she weakly sits down on her couch. Grabbing her cup of sake, she shakes her head as she roughly sets the picture down on the table while she takes another drink. She hears a chink and crack, and stops drinking.

She licks her lips as she sets down her cup warily, her hands shaking. Slowly picking up the picture frame, she bites her lip as she sees a crack in the glass across the man in the photograph. She runs her fingers across the crack, and cuts herself slightly because of her shakiness. She immediately puts her finger to her mouth, but sees that some of her blood has gotten into the break.

Sighing, Tori thinks about replacing it, but decides to leave it for now, shaking her head as memories rush back to her. She puts her face in her hands again as she fights back rushing anger, sorrow, and regret, and she throws herself back into the couch, making it scoot from its original position.

As she opens her eyes to stare at the ceiling as tears fall, Tori swallows hard as she tries to desperately think about anything else to distract her. She slowly looks at the picture in her hand, and holds it above her as she stares at the couple in the photo. _"Why…why did you do that, Orochimaru?"_

**_Kai: So, reviews are very appreciated, so I'd LOVE to hear your feedback. Also, I don't know why, but I have this sick obsession with villains. Does anyone else? And I only own my 4 O.C.s, all rights go to Kishimoto-san, who owns Naruto. _**


	2. Revelations

_**Morning-8 am.**_

Tori awakes with a start as she hears a knock on her door. She looks around, and realizes she spent the night on her couch, yet again. Also, the picture is resting on her stomach, and she groans as she sits up, rubbing her lower back to smooth out the kinks in her body. Standing, she slowly makes her way to the door and looks out the window through the blinds. She sees Kakashi and sighs, taking hold of the door knob.

Upon looking at Tori, Kakashi's eye widens slightly, and he chuckles. "Well good morning sleeping beauty…" She shakes her head and lets Kakashi in as she plops back down on the couch, holding the picture still. Kakashi sees the picture, and raises a questioning eyebrow. "Yeah…I feel asleep with it again last night." She looks at the window as Kakashi opens the blinds slightly.

"Did you dream too?" Tori rubs her face, waking up and shaking her head. "Not this time, surprisingly." She walks to her kitchen sink, putting the picture on the island, and splashes water on her face as Kakashi looks at the crack that runs across Orochimaru's face, and he looks at Tori as she turns around, wiping away the water, fully awake now.

"You know…"Kakashi picks up the picture and gazes upon the smiling Tori in the picture, along with the Sanin of the Leaf, "I never heard the story between you and him." Tori walks past him, ignoring the comment as she goes into her room to grab fresh clothes. She walks out and goes to her bathroom directly across from her room.

"You'll probably never hear it," she whispers as she closes the door behind her. Kakashi looks at the picture one last time and hears the shower turn on. "I've got all day, if you care to tell." He goes over to the couch, and lounges out on it, crossing his legs as he pulls out Icha Icha. He hears her begin to sing silently, and a small smile comes to his lips as he listens and reads.

The hot water is running as Tori slowly begins to step into the shower. She bites her lip some as the water stings her leg, but she quickly gets used to it as she fully submerges herself under the spray of rushing water. She pulls back the curtain, and sighs as the hot water relaxes her tense muscles.

Tori turns around, letting the water run down her back as she grabs her body wash. She squirts it into her hand, and memories begin to trickle inside her head.

"_So, what shall we do today?" Tori smiles as she feels arms wrap around her shoulders, and she looks up to see her beloved._

Shaking her head, Tori begins to scrub her legs, and grabs her razor as she sets her foot up on the shower edge, she stops singing, memories rushing back to her.

"_What's this?" Tori hears her door open, and glances over her shoulder to see Orochimaru walk into her home. He wraps his arms around her shoulders to see her painting. He smiles and kisses her cheek as he gazes upon her newest work, a mountain sunset with snow along the peaks._

Tori forces herself back to the present, done with shaving, and grabs her shampoo now, taking in a deep breath. As she lathers up her hair, she slips back in the memories, unable to fight them.

"_This is Alpha, Omega, where are your coordinates?" There's no reply, and Tori stops in the tree limbs, Aoi stopping a few yards from her. "Omega…answer me." Again, there's no reply, and Aoi gets a worried look on his face as he fluctuates his chakra to search for Ayame and Kenji._

Tori blinks, letting the water run down her face as she washes out the shampoo and looks around for her conditioner.

_Aoi and Tori are rushing toward where they last believed they felt Ayame's and Kenji's chakras. Tori is holding her breath, afraid of what she's going to find. The trees rush by them as they get closer to someone, and when they get to a clearing, Tori freezes when the scene meets her eyes. A man's back is facing her, long raven hair cascading down his back, and he lets go of a lifeless Ayame as he retrieves a kunai from her._

Tori shakes her head again, fighting back the tears and anger that's rising from the pit of her stomach. She puts her hand against the wall of the shower, and bunches it into a fist as she slides down to sit in the shower, letting her defenses fall. She crosses her arms and her body shudders as the tears come.

"_O…Orochimaru?" Tori can't believe who she's seeing, for he had been gone for years now and disappeared without a trace. She then looks down at the body of her student, tears appearing as Tori looks at him. "Why did you..." Orochimaru glances back at her, and a smile comes to his face as Tori shakes her head. "Why are you doing this?" Orochimaru looks at Tori and Aoi contemplatively and chuckles as he turns around, facing her._

"_Orochimaru, answer me damn it!" "Oh my dear, I have no motive as to why I'm doing this, your dear pupil here was just in the wrong place at the wrong time…and plus…" He disappears and appears behind her, whispering in her ear, "You, as Konoha Shinobi, are my enemies." She gasps as he pulls out a kunai to draw it on Aoi, who Tori pushes out of the way._

_She grabs Orochimaru's wrist, and holds him there while she orders Aoi to run away back to the village._

_Orochimaru pulls out another kunai with his free hand, twirling it to get a better hold on it, and grasps her wrist with the one that she's holding. Tori sees the other kunai, a shocked look upon her face as she stops his oncoming hand, kunai positioned for her throat._

_He then pulls Tori close to his body, spins around, and then quickly pins her to the tree, crowding her. Tori head butts him hard, and he stumbles back enough to where she can get her hand up to punch him square in the chest, making him stumble back farther._

_They both stop, staring at one another as Tori gasps for breath, licking her lips to moisten them._

_A chuckle escapes Orochimaru as he sees a tear fall from Tori's eye as she looks at him, and he waits for words to start flying. When they don't come, he raises an eyebrow, and speaks. "I bet you're wondering why I even left Konoha in the first place." She doesn't say anything, and Orochimaru eyes her as she relaxes, but not enough._

"_Well?" He stands against a tree, and watches her as she places a hand on her knee and stands up straight, wary of the man she once knew._

"_Why…why did you do that? And I'm not just talking about my pupil…your fellow Shinobi? How could you?" Her hands ball up into fists as she remembers the Hokage's report that Orochimaru had left the Leaf. "How could you slaughter them for senseless bullshit?"_

_He laughs, and it sends disgusted shivers down Tori's back as he stands up off the tree. "I have my motives for that, and they are really quite simple." He shows both of his palms to Tori as he begins to explain. "You see, in the world, there is an infinite amount of jutsu. New ones are being created each and every day…"_

_Tori's hands ball up into fists of anger as she senses where this is going. She takes in a shuddering breath, and Orochimaru continues. "…And my goal is to create and understand all of them. I'm researching Forbidden Jutsu, after all, my dear."_

_Staring at him in disbelief, and shakes his head. "So…you left because you wanted power?" He lowers his chin some, and nods. "I told you it was simple."_

_She disappears, reappearing by Orochimaru, causing him to gasp as he sees her fist fly for his face. He ducks under her arm, and quickly punches her with a strong upper-cut, only to find it's a shadow clone. He hears movement behind him, and is met by a punch in his face. He is thrown a few yards, rolling a bit, and he recovers, placing his hand on the ground pushing up as he does a quick back flip._

_He stares at the woman with curiosity as she stays in her position, not challenging him. He keeps his kunai drawn but straightens up. He can see that anger is writhing through her form, causing her to shake and not look him in the eye. "Why are you still so conflicted? Shouldn't your goal be clear, Tori-kun?"_

_Slowly looking up, there are tears in her eyes that refuse to fall, and it confuses him. "Yes, my goal is clear, for you have murdered my pupil, my niece, when we were only scouting our borders," she yells this at him, seething with anger, " and you left the Leaf simply because you wanted power, and were declared an enemy of Konoha, but I honestly can't bring myself to hurt you," her voice loses its edge that it had, "the man that I loved, and still love…" Orochimaru's eyes widen slightly, and then narrow as Tori lowers her eyes away from him, wiping the tears away._

"_You're not lying, are you?" Tori shakes her head and stands up straight, composing herself as she takes a deep breath. "I wouldn't lie to you, I would never dream of it." She shakes her head, looks at him as he contemplates over her words. _

_He slowly looks at her and her eyes widen as she sees something in his eyes that was never present before. Disappearing, Orochimaru leaves his spot, and Tori gets on her guard. She tightens her grip on her kunai, and turns around quickly as she feels his presence behind her. Tori blocks an attack, metal hitting metal and he keeps going around her, like a dance of death, and she barely meets him a few times._

_She's too slow on one block, and Orochimaru buries a kunai deep within her left shoulder, and also rips one down her face, hitting the bone a bit. Tori stumbles backward, and can't see straight. "Orochimaru…stop this!" He shoves Tori from her blind side, and trips her. Tori hits her head hard on the fall, and her world is spinning even more as Orochimaru presses a knee into her stomach hard, keeping her down._

_Tori tries to sit up against his knee, reaching for his wrist to keep the kunai away, but her vision goes blurry as he presses against her stomach rather roughly, pushing out the air from her lungs. Tears form in her eyes as he presses her stomach even harder._

"_You should have never fallen in love with me from the beginning," he whispers in her ear as Tori tries to escape. Holding onto her wrists, he takes the kunai and presses it against her vest, ripping through the fabric quickly, penetrating her skin and breaking through her rib cage. _

_Crying out in pain, Tori goes to head butt him, but he pushes the kunai deeper into her ribs, trying to get to her lungs when he hears yells. He stops, pulls the kunai quickly and it seems like he's about to slice her throat when a huge grey wolf barrels into Orochimaru, ripping him away from Tori._

_She hears snarls as Orochimaru makes a sound of frustration, and then yelps of anger as the wolf charges him, keeping him away from Tori. Soon, there are voices and Orochimaru looks around, and splits, with the wolf in hot pursuit._

_Tori hears someone by her side, and then the person yells for a medical Nin. "Get Tsunade over here, NOW!" The ninja looks back at Tori, trying to get her attention. "Tori…Tori, look at me." He snaps his fingers, and pats her face a few times when Tsunade shoves him out of the way._

_She immediately unbuttons Tori's vest to assess the damage, and gets a stern expression on her face as she places her hands on the wound. "Someone hold her down, this is going to hurt." As soon as she fluctuates the chakra through her hands to her injury, Tori screams out, her body writhing as the bones slowly mend half-way._

"_Tori, Tori stay with me." She begins to fade in and out, the pain too much for her to handle. "Tori, Tori-"_

"Tori, are you awake?" She jumps, looking around her bathroom as she hears a knock on her bathroom door. "You've been in there for a while, are you ok?" She hears Kakashi's concerned voice, and nods, slowly standing up. "Yeah, I'm alive. Just…I don't know."

Turning off the shower, she gets out and grabs a towel, drying herself off quickly. She dresses, and flips her head, wrapping her hair in the towel as she grabs the door to open it to a worried Kakashi. Tori sighs and shakes her head as Kakashi steps back to let her out.

"I'm fine Kakashi, I mean it." He tilts his head, and nods. "Whatever you say, Tori-senpai." She shakes her head again as she goes into her kitchen, rummaging around in her cupboards. "What are you looking for?" He sits down on a stool, watching the woman very carefully.

"My tea…have you seen it?" She opens another cupboard, frustration rising within her. Kakashi shakes his head slowly, but a thought comes into his mind. "I have some though, if you want it." Shaking her head, she closes the last cupboard roughly, startling Kakashi a bit. Concern enters his eye as she leans against the island, and he sees her shoulders shake.

His eye widens a bit as he slowly stands up, approaching her cautiously. "Tori? Are you alright?" Suddenly she slides down the island and curls up, wrapping her arms around her knees, hiding her face. Kakashi walks over to her quickly, and bends down by her, but she doesn't feel him.

"Tori…you can't keep looking into the past," he startles her when he speaks and she stares at him with tears down her face. He tilts his head, pity swelling within him, but he keeps it concealed because it would be the last thing she would want.

"I just can't see why he…" Kakashi takes her right hand and squeezes it slightly, looking into her eyes. He doesn't want to say anything that will set her off, but he needs to say what's on his mind. Tori looks into his eye pleadingly as she sees the truth in his eye. He sighs and stands up, unable to hurt her, although she knows for herself.

"If you want, I'll treat you to lunch." He walks over to the door quietly and opens it up. "I'll see you later, okay Tori-senpai?" He sees her look back at him over her shoulder, and she nods. "Yeah…I'll see you at lunch Kakashi." And he leaves, softly closing the door.

She pitifully stands up, grasping the edge of the island as she straightens up. Swallowing hard, she goes to the picture, and looks at it one last time. Memories surge within her again, but she keeps them at bay as she sets it down, facing her room.

Tori looks at the clock and it reads 9:45 a.m. She undoes her towel around her head, and dries her hair as she walks to her bedroom, her resolve stronger now.

_**One hour later-10:45 a.m.**_

Tori walks out of her house, refreshed and ready for the day now. She looks up at the sun, and sees some birds soaring high in the air, taking in a deep breath. She slowly begins to walk along, thinking of everything that has happened, and how she's handled it.

She also thinks of the amazing support from friends that she's had, and everything that Kakashi puts up with. Shaking her head, she realizes how much she's taken for granted too. Tori gazes through the trees as she walks, random rays of sun hitting her face as she contemplates her life.

A sudden rustle catches her attention, but she doesn't announce her awareness. She keeps walking, and sighs as she comes to a rather brash conclusion about her behavior. Biting her lip, she sends out her chakra to get a grasps on her opponents. _"Three?"_

Stopping, she scoots her foot in the dirt, and shakes her head. Then suddenly three bodies burst from behind the trees. They jump at her simultaneously, trying to not let her have any leeway to move. Glancing up at them, a stern expression is on her face as she grabs the one's wrist, kunai in hand. Tori pulls on their wrist, flipping the person over on their back. She tries to look at their faces, but sees they are wearing hoods and masks.

She jumps, still holding onto the first attacker, as one tries to swipe her feet out from underneath her. Tori lands, stopping a fist right in front of her face as she sees a third foot go for her head. Her eyes widen momentarily, and when the foot connects with her face, POOF, a log appears.

The three attackers look around quickly, and then one is pinned down by five kunai as the other cries out, being taken under the earth, leaving only their head. The last and final goon is standing there, dumbstruck, and Tori appears right in front of him, merely inches away.

Slowly looking up at the threatening image of the woman, the doomed individual sees his fate as he senses her fist hitting his face, but he quickly blocks it, pushing it down as he tries to back away. Tori's too quick though, and grabs his shirt, reaching for his hood and mask.

Ripping it off, Tori is shocked at the face she meets. "Daisuke?" She looks at the other two, and shakes her head. "What are you three doing?" Daisuke smiles meekly, waving as Tori drops him to go help out the one pinned to the ground, who turned out to be Kenshin, and to release Suzume from the ground.

_**15 minutes later-Ichiraku Ramen**_

"So you three were seeing just how much the studying and practicing on your own helped you?" Daisuke nods a bit, slurping up his ramen as Old Man Teuchi hands him another bowl. He nods his thanks and then sits up, looking at Suzume and Kenshin as he begins to explain what they've been doing.

"Even though you said wait three days to meet you, we were all too excited, and we wanted to see what we're capable of after that much studying." Suzume nods in agreement, and puts in her three cents. "And, we were practicing between the three of us for a while after you left yesterday too, Sensei." Tori nods, quite proud of this group as she watches them enjoy their meal.

"Well, you all did quite well for beginners." They all nod, and Kenshin speaks, wiping his mouth clean of ramen with a napkin. "What could you help us with then? What could we improve on?" Tori laughs as she shakes her head. "Easy guys, no need to try to rush things too fast."

Daisuke looks up, a slightly aggravated look on his face. "But we want to learn all that we can as quick as possible," he slurps up the bit of ramen falling out of his mouth, "and we can't do that if we go slow." Their sensei laughs at his eagerness, and stands up as she looks at the clock. "Well, I'm off guys."

They all three jump up, leaving their bowls behind. "But wait, we aren't done telling you everything!" She waves them off, laughing. "I think you guys will be fine on Saturday. Keep reading and practicing on your own. Bye now." And she disappears in a poof, leaving them standing in the street.


End file.
